How Kempinski is bringing a touch of class to Cancun
Cancun’s Hotel Zone recently welcomed Kempinski’s first property in North America, and TTG recently checked in to see what it’s all about
Jet lag is the unfortunate curse of travelling across time zones; but being awake in the early hours can have its advantages. From my sea-facing suite, I can see across palm trees and Cancun’s sandy beach to where the sky is beginning to brighten over a watery horizon. Shades of orange and apricot bring it to life as the surf pounds the shoreline. My brain may be foggy with tiredness but I’m glad I’m not missing this beautiful sunrise.
Normally, I’d get up and go for a jet lag-busting swim: but my massive bed and lovely room are far too comfortable to leave. I’m at the just-opened Kempinski Hotel Cancun, which has joined the ranks of this popular beach resort’s very best hotels. The landmark it occupies – formerly the Ritz-Carlton Cancun – has undergone a rebrand to become Kempinski’s first North American property.
As Europe’s oldest luxury hotel group, Kempinski is highly regarded on our side of the Atlantic; but its profile is lower in the lucrative North American travel market. “Without a portfolio in the Americas, our customers previously had to book with competitor brands,” Xavier Destribats, the brand’s chief operating officer, informed me at dinner the night before. “To rectify this, we opened the first of our three Cuba properties in 2017 and now, since taking over here in December, we’re introducing Kempinski’s DNA and values to Cancun, with further regional properties to follow.”
Beyond rebranding, any other updates have thus far been slight. When it’s finally a respectable hour to get up and go for breakfast, I meet up with Xavier again, who explains why the hotel’s “Kempinskification” has been gentle. “As a Ritz-Carlton, this property had a hugely loyal following,” he tells me. “There are many guests who come each year, checking in for weeks at a time, so we’re being careful to honour their preferences while we subtly introduce changes.”
Right now, those changes don’t stretch much further than replacing in-room amenities with products from Kempinski’s partner brand, Salvatore Ferragamo, but coming months will see the adoption of sustainability initiatives, plus the diversification of the two fine-dining restaurants, The Club Grill and Fantino. Other touches include more local treats in the mini-bars and an expanded selection of vegetarian and vegan dishes.
EFFORTLESS ELEGANCE
In overall look and feel, though, it’s business as usual. From the lobby to the restaurants, there’s a sense of grandeur thanks to the panelling, portraits, chandeliers and polished marble. Similarly sophisticated is lobby-level D-Lounge – a coffee bar that transforms by night into a sushi counter and cocktail lounge – but there’s a more casual air in all-day restaurant Cafe Mexicano.
As for the 363 guestrooms, even those at entry level are well above average size, and the suites (with Club Lounge access for complimentary drinks and snacks) are enormous. A colour scheme of silver, sand and steely grey keeps things muted and classy while also making the sea outside appear even more dazzling. All rooms have balconies and sea views – which is just as well, given that the hotel sits on Cancun’s very best bit of beach. The water here is more turquoise than elsewhere in the Hotel Zone, the beach is that little bit wider and the easterly aspect makes the most of those show-stopping, over-the-sea sunrises.
Beyond the beach, the hotel offers a spa, tennis courts and choice of swimming pools, while Cancun’s restaurants, bars, craft market, high-end shopping and nightlife are all nearby. Also just down the road is the Maya Museum, which houses more than 400 artefacts on a site where pre-Colombian ruins stand in the shadow of giant, all-inclusive resorts. In fact, there’s so much to experience that I don’t quite know how I’ll fit it all in. Maybe early-morning jet-lagged starts aren’t such a curse after all…
Book it: Journey Latin America offers five nights’ B&B at Kempinski Hotel Cancun from £1,831pp, including flights, private transfers and a private excursion to Chichen Itza. journeylatinamerica.com
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HOW TO DO UPMARKET CANCUN
Cancun – best known as a destination for maxi-scale, all-inclusive resorts – might seem an odd choice for a luxury hotel, but Kempinski Cancun is not alone. Beyond the likes of Banyan Tree, Rosewood and Chable resorts further south on the Riviera Maya, Kempinski’s immediate competitor set in Cancun itself includes the JW Marriott (marriott.co.uk) and Nizuc luxury villas (nizuc.com).
An expanded airport will make travelling here increasingly convenient. Travel agent fams organised by Quintana Roo Tourism Promotion Council are continuing to position Cancun and the wider state as ever more upmarket. mexicancaribbean.travel
KEMPINSKI'S BRAND EXPANSION
Kempinski now operates 82 hotels in 36 different countries, but the brand’s ambitions in the Americas don’t stop in Cuba and Cancun. The next project – overlooking Brazil’s Vale de Quilombo Eco-Reserve in Serra Gaucha – will join the Kempinski family in 2024, closely followed (in 2025) by a property in Porto Alegre, southern Brazil.
Plans are also afoot on two significant Caribbean projects, which will be built from scratch in yet-to-be-announced island locations. Other projects whose locations have been confirmed – all due in the next five years – include Turkey and Thailand as Kempinski continues to expand across the globe. kempinski.com
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Place of registration: England and Wales.
Company number 08723341.
Registered address: 6th Floor, 2 London Wall Place, London EC2Y 5AU
